French lavender Bandera Purple (Lavandula stoechas)

What is French lavender Bandera Purple?

French lavender Bandera Purple is a neat, branching evergreen shrub that carries its flowers on short spikes topped with a tuft of purple bracts, like little flags. The flowers are a rich dark purple and the narrow leaves are grey-green and strongly fragrant when brushed. It stays naturally compact, making it a good choice for pots on a sunny patio or for the front of a border where you can enjoy the scent up close.

Why choose French lavender Bandera Purple?

Bandera Purple produces its distinctive dark flower heads from late spring into summer when grown in full sun and freely draining soil. Its grey-green leaves remain aromatic between flowering periods, particularly when brushed along a path or patio. The bumblebee-friendly flowers appear from late spring and often carry on into summer, and a light trim after the first flush can encourage a second show. Because it stays small and bushy, it rarely outgrows its spot. The aromatic foliage releases scent whenever you brush past, making it perfect beside a path, doorway or seating area.

How tall and wide does it grow, and how quickly?

Expect Bandera Purple to reach around 40 to 60cm tall with a similar spread, forming a rounded mound. It is a moderate grower, putting on roughly 10 to 15cm of growth each year once settled. Container-grown plants may remain smaller, especially where root space is limited. Allow enough room around the pot for the rounded branches and flower stems to develop.

Where can I use French lavender Bandera Purple?

Give Bandera Purple the sunniest, best-drained position available. Its roots are particularly vulnerable to prolonged wet conditions during winter. Use it in a terracotta pot by the front door, line a sunny path with a row of them, or dot several through a gravel garden. French lavender is also happy in raised beds where winter wet drains away quickly. Avoid heavy clay or spots that stay damp in winter, unless you improve drainage with plenty of grit or grow it in a raised container.

Choosing a size

Bandera Purple is supplied in 1 litre pots, with options for 1, 2 or 4 plants. A single plant suits an individual patio container, two can be positioned beside a doorway, and four give enough plants for a short run along a sunny path or several matching pots.

Use the quantities and spacing below to plan your planting.

What is special about French lavender compared to English lavender?

French lavender (Lavandula stoechas) stands out because of the tufted 'ears' or flags on top of each flower spike. English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has simpler, more slender flower heads without those flags. French lavender also tends to flower earlier and for longer in mild conditions, but it is less hardy. If you garden in a colder part of the UK or have heavy soil, English lavender is often the safer choice. In a sheltered town garden or a pot you can move under cover, French lavender can flower over an extended period in mild weather, with its tufted purple flower heads creating a distinctive display.

When and how should I plant French lavender?

Pot-grown French lavender can be planted at any time the ground is workable, but spring is ideal. That gives the roots a full growing season to settle before winter. Water the pot well before planting. Dig a hole the same depth as the pot and twice as wide, and mix a little grit into the backfill if your soil is heavy. Set the plant so the top of the rootball is level with the soil surface, firm in gently and water thoroughly.

How far apart should I space French lavender plants?

For a dense, informal hedge or a ribbon of lavender along a path, space plants about 30 to 40cm apart. In a mixed border or gravel garden, you can give them a little more room, around 40 to 50cm, so each plant keeps its rounded shape. The table below shows how many plants you need for common lengths.

table rows markdown formatted for clarity, but output as JSON array of arrays

How do I water, feed and trim French lavender?

Water regularly while the plant establishes, especially in the first few months. Once the roots are down, French lavender is drought-tolerant. In pots, check the compost in warm weather and water when the top few centimetres feel dry. Never leave a pot standing in a saucer of water. Feed lightly in spring with a general-purpose liquid feed, but avoid rich fertilisers that encourage soft growth at the expense of flowers.

Trim lightly after the main flush of flowers fades, usually in late summer. Cut back the spent flower stems to just above a set of leaves, always staying within the green, leafy growth. Avoid cutting into bare woody stems, as these rarely regrow well. A light annual trim keeps the plant compact and encourages more blooms the following year.

Will French lavender survive a UK winter?

French lavender is less cold-tolerant than English lavender and may be damaged when temperatures fall below around minus 5 degrees Celsius. Survival depends on drainage, exposure, how long the frost lasts and whether the roots remain wet. In colder areas or during harsh winters, it needs protection. Wet winter soil is often more damaging than cold alone. If you are growing it in a pot, move it to a cold greenhouse, a porch or against a warm house wall. In the ground, mulch the roots with grit and consider covering the plant with horticultural fleece when prolonged frost is forecast.